NJ federal judge rules Rutgers' lawsuit over fee for leaving Big East can proceed, but in RI

NEWARK, N.J. – Rutgers' lawsuit over its exit fee for leaving the Big East Conference will proceed, but not in New Jersey.

In a ruling published Thursday, a federal judge in Trenton denied the conference's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. But he ordered the case transferred to Rhode Island, where the league is based.

Rutgers is headed to the Big Ten and disputes the $10 million exit fee.

The lawsuit claims the conference selectively enforced its policies, with the result that some schools did and some did not have to give notice or pay the fee on their way out of the embattled conference. The Big East allowed Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and TCU to leave the league without giving 27 months' notice, the suit alleges.

Rutgers also wants reimbursement for lost revenue for a home football game against TCU that was canceled when TCU elected not to join the league.

Attorneys for the university didn't return a message seeking comment Friday.